Kurt Busch keeps his job after 'come-to-Jesus' meeting

The "come-to-Jesus" meeting apparently helped Kurt Busch see the light. Or at least a glimmer of hope for his NASCAR career.

The mercurial Sprint Cup driver who was suspended for last weekend's race at Pocono Raceway for berating a reporter will return to his ride with Phoenix Racing, according to a statement from team owner James Finch.

The driver and owner met Tuesday in Spartanburg, S.C., after which Finch released the following: "We have met with Kurt. At the end of the day, we are racers so we're going racing together with Kurt and the No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet. We know adjustments have to be made but how we fix that is between Kurt and myself. We're going to go to the track, work hard, race hard and work on trying to attract a sponsor – and we're going to do that together."

Finch had said last week in an interview with SiriusXM Satellite Radio that he was tiring of Busch's antics (his NASCAR probation was extended through the end of the year) and lamented that he had wrecked 14 cars, four beyond repair, this season. Finch said the two needed to have a "come-to-Jesus meeting," and that happened Tuesday.

In the SiriusXM interview, Finch said he would tell Busch, "It's going to be race by race. It's not going to be probation with us. Here's the deal: Quit wrecking the cars, get a good finish, be nice to people. That's not real hard to do."

The previous time the 2004 champion missed a Cup event was at the end of the 2005 season, when he was let go by Roush Fenway Racing with two races remaining.

Larry McReynolds, an analyst for Speed and TNT, said Tuesday that Busch would need to make a stark change in his ways "because a sponsor wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole right now."

At Pocono, David Reutimann subbed for Busch and drove to a 21st-place finish. Busch will return to the driver's seat for Sunday's Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway ranked 27th in points.

Busch has not met with news media since telling Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass after the June 2 Nationwide Series race that probation "refrains me from not beating the (expletive) out of you." He brushed off interview requests with USA TODAY Sports the next day at Dover International Speedway.

McReynolds suggested that staying away from the media altogether might be the best thing for Busch.

"I'm a huge Kurt fan. He's so dang talented, but he has to figure out how to control his emotions, and I think he will need some help to do that," McReynolds said. "And when he thinks he can't control his emotions, he should just walk away. The media will still write about you when you walk away, but you don't put yourself in jeopardy."

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About Reid and Mike

Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.

He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.

Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.